Heartland's Doggie Dollars program began in January 1998 and was revised in July 2000. Here is how it works:
A member will earn one Doggie Dollar for each hour of work at an official club function such as matches, trials, workshops, etc. Members will earn credit for all jobs: stewarding, timing, scribing, equipment moving, etc. Members who must travel more than 30 minutes each way to an event will earn Doggie Dollars for travel time.
No Doggie Dollars will be awarded to members for assisting at events that are free to members, such as reward workshops, matches, show and go's. These are considered cooperative efforts and all who attend enjoy the activity at no charge.
Members who teach or assist at classes will earn one Doggie Dollar for each hour of in-class time. Instructors will earn 5 Doggie Dollars to compensate for preparation time for each class taught (not for each session). In order for assistants to earn Doggie Dollars, they must 1) contact the instructor in advance so the instructor can determine how much help will be available, and 2) attend the Instructors' meeting before that class.
Doggie Dollars may be used to pay for entries at matches, trials, workshops, or any function sponsored by the club which would otherwise cost money. Doggie Dollars may be used for portions of the fees, excepting the required fees for each entry charged by the official sanctioning organizations (currently AKC and UKC) and any "per entry" fee charged by judges. In most cases, this will amount to about $3 to $5 per entry, so on a $20 agility entry fee, a member could use $15 in Doggie Dollars, along with $5 cash, to pay for an entry. The exact amount of cash required will be determined for each event by the trial chair, in consultation with the trial committee.
In partial recognition of the long hours that trial chairs and trial secretaries put in before and after the trial, they will receive 8 bonus hours of Doggie Dollars in partial compensation for their efforts. Match and workshop chairs will receive 5 bonus hours. At the end of the year when they complete their terms, officers will receive 5 bonus Doggie Dollars. The treasurer will distribute these Doggie Dollars as one of the last responsibilities of the club year.